The staff here was great at assisting me in what I needed for my new Beta. I am so happy I came…read morehere, and so is my Beta

Great selection run by knowledgeable fish experts. Half…read morefresh water / half salt water fish in stock.

Wow, well I wasn't sure what to expect walking in as I'm new to aquariums but this place is great…read more I had a simple 10 gallon planted tank that has been freshly cycled with some snails and I received no judgement for having a "small" tank and plenty of help. I used to keep a few tanks as a kid but finally got back into the hobby and have a whole new level of appreciation for it. The staff was very helpful with the choice of fish and ideas around creating a good community that can possibly grow over time due to temperament and size. (I came in looking for a particular fish which they had but then honestly talked me out of it due to their aggression level and my tank size) they did recommend I could have the fish I was searching for, a type of gourami, after my tank is established due to their territorial behaviors and for that I was really appreciative. They have a 7 day guarantee but honestly as long as you have good specs on your tank (which they did ask plenty of questions to make sure you're capable of handling your new friends) you shouldn't need to worry. All the fish and plants there seemed happy and healthy and my goodness the saltwater/coral displays were worth the trip alone. I didn't feel like a second class citizen because I just had a little 10 gallon starter tank, they made me feel right at home. I will absolutely be going back for anything I need in the future. I bought 3 beautiful fish for about 4.50 during their anniversary sale, the price and quality of the fish were better than any big box store and I couldn't be happier. They have brought me great joy and relaxation. I expected to pay way more as I was being sold on these different fish but they really took to heart what I was trying to buy and accommodated me. Can't believe the level of attention to detail they gave me based on my total transactions amount. 5 star service.

Staff was friendly, knowledgeable, and prices reflected the healthy quality of tanks and product…read moreand plant selection. Great saltwater selection. I did get recommended a Molly and it ate some shrimp. Might suggest not getting Molly because there is a chance it will eat smaller shrimp.

My husband and I have kept both salt and freshwater tanks for years (and years), throughout states…read more We've been in Chicago-land (Oak Park) for 17 years and have seen some of our favorite (knowledgeable, awesome) Aquarium stores come and go or move farther away: Old Town Aquarium, downtown; Tony's Ocean Design (which will still love and recommend--shout out to Tony!!!!--but it's a hike) and the place on Devon (also a hike) that we used to frequent but closed years ago. The rest of "aquarium" stores that we've been to, are, imho, sh-t. You can imagine our surprise when this seemingly little "hole-in-the-wall" store that we thought nothing of when passing by in car, originally, turned out to be SO wonderful and SO close (side note: Oy! We've been going there a lot...too tempting!). And Eddie (Eddy?), the owner, has worked at like all the places I've just mentioned. It's a new store but he has *years* of experience, is super smart, and lovely in terms of the time he takes with people. He also has ample, knowledgeable staff, which is needed for this many fish tanks. I'm confused about the one-star review, and my guess is that person's fish died because they don't know enough about not overfeeding or water conditions or something...is her "son" in charge of feeding, and, if so, how old is he? We've bought both fish and corals from here and they've thrived. There are clear markings (for saltwater) for when the fish/corals have arrived to the store, and you can ask anyone there about extra care requirements and needs. I've not noticed anything "expired" either. As for clutter: It's on the smaller side, so yes...it can be tight. BUT: Eddie is in the process of moving the store to a bigger space just a few blocks away (even closer for us, Oy!). I highly recommend this store as the best new fish store we've found in quite a while. We will happily buy from them again. TIP: Make sure you sign up for membership, as that gives you perks and discounts. But even that said: Their prices are ridiculously reasonable (though I'll take the discounts, Eddie, with thanks!). Highly recommend! This spoken from two people who have spent quite a few years with home tanks of both kinds. Go visit! You won't be disappointed.

I had an outstanding experience here! I explained the aquarium set up I had and just wanted to…read moremake simple improvements. They didn't try to over sell me stuff. Very helpful. Turns out I was doing a lot wrong (like over cleaning) but the lady helping me (sorry forgot her name) was extremely helpful and really seemed to love sharing her knowledge. I honestly cannot wait to go back and explore the shop. Highly recommend.

The aquarium we have came with the house we bought, complete with many fish. We've struggled to…read morekeep the tank clean and fish alive for 4 years! As background, we hired another company about 2 years ago, to do regular cleanings (every 3 months or so), while doing water changes in between. It seemed to help. The tank generally looked ok. But the tank conditions continued to go down hill over time, and we had multiple bouts with extreme algae blooms. The equipment also got built up with more and more gunk. Out prior service team never advised us on how to prevent these issues. They just cleaned it up and left. Finally, when our prior service company failed to fit us in for a cleaning for over two months, meaning we went 5 months with no professional cleaning, we knew we had to go elsewhere! We hired Rick to completely redo our 150 gallon aquarium. We got an "all in" quote up front which was very reasonable. Basically same cost as a year of professional cleanings, which we would no longer need. Rick educated us on what was wrong and how he could adjust our set up so it will be virtually maintenance free and beautiful! He told us our filter was actually too small to keep the tank clean! He advised us against auto feeder unless on vacation. He completely emptied the tank and started from scratch. He also moved our equipment to a better place so it's more out of sight. He added black sheets to sides to prevent algae growth. And he has been over many times to monitor the cycling of the new environment, and will next add the fish. If you want an expert, who will not overcharge and will be honest and educate you, go with Aquatic Works. NEW: Added our fish after tank cycled enough. It just looks like a work of art!!

Fantastic family run business that has an immense knowledge of fresh and salt water aquariums…read more Rick set me up with a 230 gallon salt water aquarium back in 1999, and has helped me keep everything running smoothly ever since. I would highly recommend Aquatic Works.

The Aronovs are the best! Eugene cleaned my seriously neglected 55 gallon tank and Mrs. Aronov…read morepicked out a beautiful selection of new fish to restock. The most amazing part of all this was the distance they travelled to take care of me. I live in Skokie. Their shop is in Barrington! These people are not only very professional but extremely kind. As soon as I'm able to drive again I plan to make a pilgrimage to Fish Island. Thanks again k

Great family owned spot! Very helpful every time I come in with any questions I may have.read more

Fun place to visit. Very helpful people and they're always willing to answer questions.read more

This company is horrible at responding to concerns and frequently charged my company for services…read morethey did not provide. Ive emailed numerous times in the last few weeks to service our tank after their billing dept. made mistakes in communicating billing with me. They frequently email me a bill with an invoice date 2 weeks after invoice date and expect me to pay on time when it takes minimum 4 weeks to cut a check from our corporate office. Tried to reconcile. But want to let people be aware to stay away from this company as they don't care if your fish die or not. Update 2/12/2018: Talked to Manager about discrepancies with the invoice after weeks of no response - said he would send fish food but has been two weeks since the conversation and still no food. Wanted to have the invoice changed to reflect them not providing the food but they are so stubborn they did not want to correct. Still waiting. Update 2/12/2018: Jonathon. I've been nothing but helpful in trying to help you get paid on this last invoice but you've had horrible service for the last few years - we've moved on to a better company and they are okay with the time it takes my company to pay invoices. Secondly, yes I worked on Christmas Eve as my company is open 24/7 365 days a year since we work with people. Sorry if you feel that is "sad" that I worked that day and was trying to reconcile your account as you are terrible in getting in contact with. In response to you bashing my credibility on yelp because I had two bad yelp reviews - one being yours - Where are all your positive reviews ???? I'm a person - you are a business. There's 2. Your review shows the type of company you are. Sorry if I've only written two reviews in 3-4 years on yelp and both are negative !!! One was resolved due to a glitch in their computer system. Update 2/27/2018: Jonathon, I've been purchasing the fish food myself ever since I've worked there and it was that way for months before the former director left. That is why when we are being charged for it - it was apparent they were billing incorrectly because my email I sent you shows my admin checked and said no food was provided. None of the other invoices have food on them as a charge also. Here's some attached pictures of the wonderfully expired rusted can of fish food that finally arrived at our building. I called and emailed about this to Norm about the rust on the can and the date of 2.2.2013 on the fish food they send to reconcile the issue - got no answer. I sent a check request indicating not to pay the $9.99 with my supporting documentation. If you have an issue with this, please call me.

The crew at Something Fishy helped me out with a very major job; transporting a 10 foot aquarium…read morefrom an hour away to my basement. They were able to do the job and even cleaned up afterward. The fit was tight but they took precautions not to harm my home. It was brought in during the pandemic and all the men took precautions for everyone's safety. I would recommend them for any aquarium work.

These guys did a tank relocation for me and my wife... they were phenomenal!!!!! Got a few quotes…read moreand these guys were the most reasonably priced... their work was great... they were very professional and fast... took great care of our fish and now are tank looks like brand new at my new house!!!!

I'm a budding aquarist. I have two small fish tanks (one biocube, one freshwater planted…read moreaquarium), and I'm always looking for new fish to put in the latter, and new ways to keep the former looking beautiful. I've used Aquatic World a couple of different times in different capacities along those lines, and I've been quite pleased. I was initially attracted because I'm just down the street and I stopped in. I bought a few hermit crabs, a turbo snail, and some coral for my saltwater tank, and talked with the owner, Sean, a good bit about aquariums and aquarium care. He gave me a few suggestions, and all is going well. Then, I decided to take advantage of their tank consulting services in order to make sure that the Biocube was running in tip-top shape. The gentleman who came over, Matt, was super pleasant and showed me a couple of tricks and gave me good advice. The tank looks great now, and with the tips and advice I think I can keep it looking great longterm. It's worth noting that every time I take the cats to the vet it costs at least $100, so the consulting fee seemed very reasonable at $65 an hour. A couple of the reviews have mentioned a discourteousness to children. Full disclosure: My only kids have fur and fins. But I can see what they're talking about based on observations of others. However, it more comes across to me as "I'm going to focus my attention on customers, versus children of customers." It doesn't bother me. If you want a goldfish for your kid, or a beta for the micro-tank on your desk, you'd probably be happier going to the Petco and Petsmart of the world. Aquatic World can do it, but it's probably overkill for what you're looking for unless you take your aquarium pretty seriously.

Sean rocks! He had great advice for getting my planted tank established and he set me up with some…read moreember tetras and red cherry shrimp, both of which had pregnant females. The population in my tank is healthy and booming!! Thank you Sean!

This is a pretty cool pet store if you're looking for unique pets and fish. They had a great bird…read moreselection. This pet store even had baby possums for sale. The things I saw were fish tons of reptiles, mice ,rats squirrels, hedgehogs, rabbits, birds bearded dragons baby possums and so much more.

We traveled here from Wheaton looking for pet mice as the big chain stores were not selling them at…read morethe time. The reviews are not wrong about the small enclosures in-store but the animals are healthy and it's a small business-- what do people expect? Presumably you're there to buy an animal and will be giving them a better enclosure. It's a pet store, not a zoo. Compared to a big chain store it wasn't really that different, except that Kenn has more employees than you'd find in a chain store 5x its size (which says a lot about his priorities). He showed me the only two fancy mice that were available and when I asked if they should be bought together, he was honest. He said "I'm not going to tell you that they're bonded or anything, but mice do like to have company." He was clearly trying to ensure we didn't feel pressured to buy something we didn't want while also being honest about reality. He answered all of my questions about the mice and got me set up with the supplies I'd need without my even asking. He pointed out deals to us and offered us different solutions, immediately noticing that we had a budget. But the store had everything you'd need for a rodent there: toys, treats, enclosures, bedding, and the best recommended food. Two weeks later and the little mice we bought from him are healthy and happy-- and also beautiful. The grey one is really friendly and loves to be held, which is so sweet. The siamese one is a little standoffish but can still be held if you coax her out with a toilet paper tube. I did end up getting a larger 20-gallon tank for them that I found on sale rather than the plastic hamster cage I bought from the store (which-- again-- was kindly suggested by Kenn when it was clear we were worried about expense). Anyway, I really enjoy having these little creatures around. I'm thinking of going back to buy a rat!